Kinnison picks up win No. 900 Featured

Friday afternoon turned out to be a special one for Delta State University head baseball coach Mike Kinnison.Kinnison picked up his 900th career win as the Statesmen defeated the Ouachita Baptist Tigers 3-2 in Arkadelphia, AR. Kinnison has won at a rapid rate as Friday's win came in only the fourth game of his 22nd season as a head baseball coach on the college level. Kinnison also picked up his 901st career victory when Delta State defeated Nebraska-Kearney 9-4 Saturday at Arkadelphia. Kinnison's career record is 901-289-2 for a winning percentage of .757. Kinnison said winning over 900 games is not a one-man job. “It’s a reflection of a lot of good players and a lot of good coaches that I’ve had that were part of it,” Kinnison said. “It speaks well for the great help that I’ve had in the time that I’ve been here. You don’t accomplish much of anything of note if you’re by yourself. You usually have to have a good support group, and I’ve certainly had that in the quality of players and coaches who share in that. In that regard, it’s more of a reflection of what the program has accomplished than an individual honor.”Kinnison has spent all his 22 years as a head coach at DSU, which is the same place he played college baseball in 1977 and ’78. He also served as an assistant coach at DSU from 1994-96. “It certainly has been a special place to coach,” Kinnison said. “It’s certainly more than just a job for me because it’s where I played. For my family, it’s where we’ve all gone to school and where we all graduated from and we’re proud of that. It’s a great community and great support, and I'm thankful for that. For my family, and me we were able to put down roots and grow in this community. I have no regrets about that. “On the other hand, I think it’s been a great place to be a baseball coach. This program has had high expectations. Our administration has stood behind us and has shared a vision of our program being one of national prominence and we’ve tried to work hard try to maintain that. That’s doesn’t happen everywhere.”Kinnison and the rest of the Statesmen (4-1) will continue their season on Tuesday when they travel to Monticello, AR, to play the University of Arkansas at Monticello in a noon contest.